Amstel Ultra beer sailed against the current in its latest and greatest advertising campaign. In the opposite direction to what global influencer marketing trends dictate, he opted for a celebrity to position his product around the world.
From the hand of Rafael Nadal, the low-calorie alcoholic beverages brand launched ‘Choose how to live’, the campaign with which it aims to highlight – in 12 different countries, starting with Mexico and Spain – the importance of finding balance and benefits to choose a drink that adapts to the lifestyle of each consumer.
According to the global influencer marketing platform Linqia, only 14% of brands will use celebrities (with more than five million followers on social networks) for their advertising strategies in 2021, a figure less than 22% the previous year . The majority (90%) will bet this year on micro-influencers, who have between 5,000 and 100,000 followers.
Nicolas Álvarez, brand manager at Amstel Ultra, explains that joining a character with more than 10 million followers on Instagram, above 15 million on Twitter and more than 14 million on Facebook, may not follow market trends, but it fits perfectly with the message that the firm wants to convey.
“Nadal emerged very quickly as the first option, he is a celebrity known for being a great decision maker, an active, healthy and balanced lifestyle, which is why he represents the values of the brand very well,” says Álvarez. “The truth is that the association arose naturally, it made a lot of sense to Rafa when we approached him.”
For Leonardo Vargas, leader of the influencer marketing department of the Band of Insiders agency, “everything depends on the industry and the objectives that the brand wants to meet. Regularly, those who invest for celebrities are those of consumption or those who want to gain an important place in the mind of the consumer ”.
And the tennis player confirms it: “It is a dynamic company that is working to innovate. We found the campaigns they presented to us appropriate and interesting. For me, being linked to a brand like Amstel is a great satisfaction ”, Nadal explains in an interview.
In Rafael Nadal’s long list of sponsors, ranging from Grupo Santander, Kia, Telefónica and Nike, there are no alcoholic beverages. This campaign, which began with a commercial on television and social networks in which the athlete talks about what he likes to do in his free time, is his debut in the industry.
“We entered a sector that we had never been in, apart from a leading company, it seemed to us the best possible entry and it has been,” he confirms.
The ideal partner
Beyond following the trends that are dictated in the industry, brands need to find allies that fit with their values, that identify with their consumers and that promote credible, accurate and really helpful content, they explain from the network analysis platform social Socialbakers.
After the health crisis caused by COVID-19, consumer expectations changed completely. Leonardo Vargas details that today they are turning to see profiles that mainly talk about physical and mental health care, they also want entertainment and even characters who start traveling.
In this sense, Amstel hit him. “People associate Nadal with an active and healthy lifestyle, he is aspirational among consumers because he balances his activity with the search for their well-being. That generates an immediate connection, ”says Álvarez.
According to a study by Socialbakers, the contents that generate the most interaction on social networks are those related to health and well-being, which are 4.2 times more efficient.
Regarding the size of the characters, in the social network analysis firm they say that “one of the benefits of working with smaller influencers is the flexibility and accessibility they offer compared to the mega, with whom you have to go through several steps before to get in touch with him ”.
But at Amstel, this was not an impediment, because more than the number of followers or the partners with whom they had to negotiate, what they needed was an ambassador who was committed to the brand for the long term. The relationship with Rafael Nadal will end until 2024.
“For us it was something important, we seek long-term partnerships (which the tennis player also prefers). We do not want influencers who last three months with us and only promote a launch, we work to form long relationships ”, assures Nicolas Álvarez.
The campaign ‘Choose how to live’ with the Spanish tennis player is the largest that the low-calorie beer brand has launched since its launch in 2018.
